sickly

[ sik-lee ]

/ ˈsɪk li /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: sickly / sickliness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, sick·li·er, sick·li·est.

not strong; unhealthy; ailing.

of, connected with, or arising from ill health: a sickly complexion.

marked by the prevalence of ill health, as a region: the epidemic left the town sickly.

causing sickness.

nauseating.

maudlin and insipid; mawkish: sickly sentimentality.

faint or feeble, as light or color.

adverb

in a sick or sickly manner.

verb (used with object), sick·lied, sick·ly·ing.

to cover with a sickly hue.

OTHER WORDS FOR sickly

1 frail, weak, puny, sick, feeble, infirm.

See synonyms for sickly on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sickly

1300–50; Middle English siklich, sekly (adj.). See sick¹, -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM sickly

sick·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sickly in a sentence

Goodman wrote that the fatal delay had "sicklied over the bloom" of Jones's original enthusiasm.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
It has nearly distracted some men, whose minds were sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought.
How to be Happy Though Married|E. J. Hardy.
Human life had become sicklied o'er with a cast of sham, until man had half forgotten to act as man.
George Fox|George Fox
Is his smile sicklied over by sorrow; or shall I hear his merry laugh and his cheerful voice as in days of yore?
Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 (of 2)|Charles Lever

And for a moment the royal brow was "sicklied o'er with pale cast of thought."
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 108, June 29, 1895|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sickly

sickly

/ (ˈsɪklɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

disposed to frequent ailments; not healthy; weak

of, relating to, or caused by sickness

(of a smell, taste, etc) causing revulsion or nausea

(of light or colour) faint or feeble

mawkish; insipidsickly affectation

adverb

in a sick or sickly manner

Derived forms of sickly

sickliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sickly

OTHER WORDS FOR sickly

Origin of sickly

OTHER WORDS FROM sickly

Words related to sickly

How to use sickly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sickly

Derived forms of sickly